Ugandan duo out to torment Team Kenya at World Cross-country Championships

ATHLETICS Ugandan duo out to torment Team Kenya at World Cross-country Championships

Abigael Wafula 11:32 - 15.03.2024

The Ugandan duo of Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo have confirmed participation at the 2024 World Cross-country Championships, firing warning shots at Team Kenya.

The Ugandan duo of Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo will return to the World Cross-country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia to torment arch-rivals Team Kenya one more time.

Kiplimo showed Kenyans dust at last year’s edition of the global showpiece, taking the top prize in the senior men’s race, clocking 29:17 to cross the finish line. Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi finished second in 29:26 as Cheptegei, the two-time World 10,000m champion completed the podium.

The first Kenyan to cross the finish line was Geoffrey Kamworor who finished fourth in 29:37 but he will not be competing in this year’s edition of the event as he will be gearing up for the London Marathon.

Follow the Pulse Sports Kenya WhatsApp Channel for more news.

Kiplimo, the current half marathon world record holder, opened his season at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja where he aimed for the world record but was unsuccessful and he will be glad to defend his title.

Cheptegei, winner of multiple global titles on the track and world record-holder over 5000m and 10,000m, has won the senior men’s title in Aarhus in 2019 with Kiplimo taking silver, landing Uganda with gold in the team contest.

Both men will line up in Belgrade with the hopes of winning more medals, and they will be joined on the senior men’s team by Martin Kiprotich, who finished 18th at last year’s edition of the event. African U20 5000m champion Dan Kibet, finished runner-up to Kiplimo at last month’s Ugandan Cross-Country Championships.

The Kenyan team, led by Sabastian Sawe will certainly have their work cut out with the presence of the serial threats. Gideon Rono and Nicholas Kimeli will also be in the team with last year’s World Ubder-20 champion Ishmael Kipkurui also in the mix, this time around competing in the senior event.